THURLOW DAM
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 91 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Elmore County
- Operator
- ALABAMA POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1931
- EIA plant ID
- 19
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 212 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 26%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.5347, -85.8893
THURLOW DAM, a 91 MW Hydro power plant in Elmore County, Alabama. Operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned 1931.
How THURLOW DAM compares
With 91 MW of capacity, THURLOW DAM ranks 40th among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and 14th of the 23 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 2.8% of Alabama's operating Hydro capacity and 0.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 193rd-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1931, it is older than 85% of the 64 operating Alabama plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, ALABAMA POWER CO, runs 22 operating plants in Alabama totaling 12,989 MW. It shares Elmore County with 4 other operating plants, including WALTER BOULDIN DAM and MARTIN DAM.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 91 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 212 GWh in 2024 (a 26% capacity factor), down 10% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 586 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is WALTER BOULDIN DAM (225 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
THURLOW DAM is a 91 MW hydro power plant in Elmore County, AL, operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned in 1931. Elmore County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.0 of 5 at the 25th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 86th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Elmore County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 0.08 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | 0.55 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 49th | 2.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 66.7 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 9.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 1.2 |
| Hail | Very Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 23rd | 1.9 of 5 | 0.42 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 1.4 |
Perils not assessed in Elmore County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Elmore County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.